Health and Medicine

Health and Medicine

The Penn State Hershey University Fitness Center has a wide variety of specialty classes starting new sessions in the New Year. From three different yoga classes to tae kwon do and Spin-Ata, there is something for everyone.

"Wild Onions," Penn State College of Medicine's student-run humanities journal, is now accepting submissions of poetry, prose, fine art and photography about any topic (not necessarily medicine-related) for the annual issue. This year's theme, "Wanderlust: Unplanned Journeys," aims to capture experiences and thoughts related to any type of journey in life, whether it be geographic travel or an emotional, philosophical or other type of journey.

A gene associated with both protection against bacterial infection and excessive blood clotting could offer new insights into treatment strategies for deep-vein thrombosis -- the formation of a harmful clot in a deep vein. The gene produces an enzyme that, if inhibited via a specific drug therapy, could offer hope to patients prone to deep-vein clots, such as those that sometimes form in the legs during lengthy airplane flights or during recuperation after major surgery. The research, which was led by Yanming Wang, a Penn State associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, and Denisa Wagner, senior author with decades of research on thrombosis at the Boston Children's Hospital and the Harvard University Medical School, will be published in the Online Early Edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences during the week ending May 10.

The adverse side effects of certain hepatitis C medications can now be replicated and observed in Petri dishes and test tubes, thanks to a research team led by Craig Cameron, the Paul Berg Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Penn State. "The new method not only will help us to understand the recent failures of hepatitis C antiviral drugs in some patients in clinical trials," said Cameron. "It also could help to identify medications that eliminate all adverse effects." The team's findings, published in the current issue of the journal PLOS Pathogens, may help pave the way toward the development of safer and more-effective treatments for hepatitis C, as well as other pathogens such as SARS and West Nile virus.

First author Jamie Arnold, a research associate in Cameron's lab at Penn State, explained that the hepatitis C virus (HCV), which affects more than 170,000,000 people worldwide, is the leading cause of liver disease and, although antiviral treatments are effective in many patients, they cause serious side effects in others.

The sticking point, when it comes to the current furor over the use of products given the unappetizing name "meat glue" by critics of the food industry, is labeling, according to a meat expert in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.

Lean beef can contribute to a heart-healthy diet in the same way lean white meats can, according to nutritional scientists. The DASH diet -- Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension -- is currently recommended by the American Heart Association to lower cholesterol and reduce risk of heart disease. People following the DASH diet are encouraged to eat fish and poultry, but not much beef.